Michael Morpurgo is a literary treasure.

The author of War Horse and Private Peaceful, he’s written around 150 books, loved particularly among children and young people.

He’s returned with yet another novel, Cobweb following a little dog heading to London in the aftermath of Britain’s triumph at Waterloo.

Morpurgo told Jack Tame that much like many of his stories, Cobweb was inspired by a friend of his who walked 250 miles from the West Coast of Wales to London on a drovers’ road.

Drovers’ roads are the paths farmers would use to bring their livestock from their farms to the market, as back before vehicles and public transport became common, walking was the only way to reach the big cities.

While researching drovers’ roads, Morpurgo realised that their stories, and the stories of drovers’ dogs in particular, aren’t well known.

“And I thought, that's a story that mostly no one knows, so why don't you tell it? Tell that tale? So that's what I did.”

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A painful form of arthritis, gout is the second most common form affecting New Zealanders.

A major international study involving around 2.6 million people, has revealed that genetics are a major cause, not lifestyle choices.

Dr Bryan Betty joined Jack Tame to run through the study, what gout looks like, and how it impacts people.

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Kiwi musical icon Kimbra is back with another album.

Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) is a collaborative album, featuring the likes of BANKS, Dawn Richard, DRAM, Skrillex, and Sahtyre, and while Kimbra doesn’t stray too far from her experimental pop sound, there is more R&B and hiphop influences in this work.

Music Reviewer Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the release.

“It grows on me day by day, this album.”

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"Savouring Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands is an adventure to relish. Swathed in lush jungle greens, pepper-potted with shapely hills and anchored by a gloriously soothing lake at its heart, the seduction is fast and sweet in the gateway city of Kandy. The very name Kandy conjures visions of splendour and mystique. It’s a city that proudly keeps its legends, traditions and folklore alive."

"Another huge highlight was visiting the storied Geragama Tea Factory. Located close to Kandy, this is one of your classic old-school tea factories, specialising in long leaf tea for over 120 years. They do a great job in chronicling the rise of Ceylon Tea and how the nation remains one of the world’s top five tea producers."

Read Mike's full article here.

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Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue by Sonia Purnell

When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing – and many were downright sexist. Written off as a mere courtesan and social climber, her true legacy was overshadowed by a glamorous social life and her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes – on both sides of the Atlantic – remained invisible and secret. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, interviews and newly discovered sources, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how she left an indelible mark on the world today.

At age 20 Churchill’s beloved daughter-in-law became a “secret weapon” during World War II, strategically wining, dining, and seducing diplomats and generals to help win over American sentiment (and secrets) to the British cause against Hitler. After the war, she helped to transform Fiat heir Gianni Agnelli into Italy’s ‘uncrowned king’ on the international stage and after moving to the US brought a struggling Democratic party back to life, hand-picking Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulting him to the presidency.

Picked as Ambassador to France, she deployed her legendary subtle powers to charm world leaders and help efforts to bring peace to Bosnia, playing her part in what was arguably the high-water mark of American global supremacy.

There are few at any time who have operated as close to the center of power over five decades and two continents, and there is practically no one in 20th Century politics, culture, and fashion whose lives she did not touch, including the Kennedys, Truman Capote, Aly Khan, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem, Ed Murrow, and Frank Sinatra. Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigor that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, politics, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, KINGMAKER re-asserts Harriman’s rightful place at the heart of history.

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The Valley by Chris Hammer

Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back – and Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught investigation yet.

A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case. Ivan and Nell are soon contending with cowboy lawyers, conmen, bullion thieves and grave robbers.

But it's when Nell discovers the victim is a close blood relative that the past begins to take on a looming significance.

What did take place in The Valley all those years ago? What was Nell's mother doing there, and what was her connection to troubled young police officer Simmons Burnside? And why do the police hierarchy insist Ivan and Nell stay with the case despite an obvious conflict of interest?

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Have you ever been so anxious that your stomach started hurting? In addition to its well-known impacts on mental health, stress can also make people feel physically ill—and a new study could help explain why.

Although it’s fairly common knowledge that the gut “talks” to the brain by releasing hormones into the bloodstream, this recent study showed the relationship going back the other way: from the brain to the gut to the immune system.

Researchers have found that removing key glands (called Brunner’s glands) in mice, which line the walls of the small intestine, triggered inflammation and increase the chance of infection. Similar thing happens in humans who’ve had tumours removed in their gut.

It seems that removal of these glands leads to a reduction in gut bacteria which triggers inflammation and subsequent pain.

When the researchers took a closer look at these glands, they discovered a connection to the vagus nerve that goes from the base of the brain to the internal organs, influencing digestion, blood pressure, and even memory and mood. Fibers that connect to Brunner’s gland lead directly to a region of the brain known as the amygdala, which plays a key role in emotion and the stress response.

Researchers found that when mice are under chronic stress their glands shut down—causing gut bacteria to dwindle and intensifying inflammation.

The take home message: being under mental stress can lead to a painful stomach! It highlights the importance of monitoring your stress levels and keeping good gut bacteria.

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Passionvine Hoppers came up in conversation a week or so ago: a nuisance for gardeners, especially in the warmer north (but more and more a pain-in-the-South as well!).

I also remember that Aucklanders often called them lacy-winged moths. Shows you that entomological knowledge has always been slow to sink in up there in the North Island.

They are certainly not moths, these critters belong to a totally different insect order: the Homoptera, or sap-sucking bugs. Yes, these are some of the insects you can legitimately call “bugs” in entomological parlance.

LIFE CYCLE:

Eggs hatch in October – the timing relates to warmth in spring.

The tiny fluffy bums (“nymphs”) suck sap from a wide variety of host plants and slowly grow bigger and bigger. They also become nimbler and can hop greater distances as they grow larger in spring.

Late in spring (December onwards) the Fluffy Bums will moult their last moult and turn into a winged adult Passionvine Hopper.

One nymph of passion vine hopper (fluffy bum) and three winged adults in summer.

They will still suck sap from your favourite plants – they will also continue excreting sticky honeydew all over the plants and leaves below.

(And as we all know, honeydew is a perfect place for sooty mould to grow – black, ugly fungal material that looks as if a miniature fire has burnt your plants).

This is also the time for mating and female Passionvine Bugs will lay eggs in the autumn. They prefer to insert the eggs in thin branches, leaving a patterned oviposition site, which keeps the eggs in good nick during the winter months

CONTROL and PREVENTION:

Keep an eye on the new fluffy bums hatching in your garden right now! Those tiny nymphs often congregate in large flocks at the ends of new growth; they are still very feeble in their movement and won’t be able to escape a cloud of fly-spray aimed at them on a wind-still morning.

Small, young nymphs

Spray these young passionvine hoppers in October with a good dose of fly-spray.

In autumn there is a second chance for control: spot the new egg-sites on thin twigs and tendrils, cut these off and burn them in the fireplace (Fried Eggs!).

Eggs laid in thin twigs and curly tendrils

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On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 19 October 2024, uniquely talented author Michael Morpurgo joins Jack to discuss his love for fact within fiction, a memorable discussion with Roald Dahl, and the intriguing inspiration behind his new children's novel Cobweb.

Jack discusses team loyalty and his pride in wearing blue to Auckland FC's first match.

Chef Nici Wickes shares a quirky tip to ensure the icing of your Hummingbird cake stays light and fluffy.

And, in her new album, Kiwi musician Kimbra is circling back to her collaborative ways. Music reviewer Estelle Clifford delivers her verdict on the resulting sound.

Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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